The NSW Taxi Council believes it is important to shine a light on the many issues affecting the NSW Taxi Industry and that includes the challenges presented by illegal ridesharing.

For too long there has been a very uneven playing field and this review represents an important opportunity to redress this inequity.

It is also a good opportunity for the NSW Taxi Industry to bring forward the important reforms it has been working on and advocating for over a number of years.

These initiatives have real customer benefit and will be highlighted during the review process.

The NSW Taxi Council will work professionally and constructively with all relevant and legitimate parties and provide detailed submissions to the Taskforce on key issues with the overall aim of ensuring a strong and viable taxi industry for the people of NSW into the future.

CEO of the NSW Taxi Council Roy Wakelin-King said that this review is an important opportunity to get this right and to ensure greater fairness for the NSW Taxi Industry and other legitimate participants in the point to point transport sector.

“We hope that this review asks some critical questions;

What sort of taxi industry do the people of NSW want?

Do they want unregulated private drivers in private vehicles or do they want a properly regulated and managed industry which provides high quality and safe services reflecting the reputation and brand of the State?

What level of regulation is required to ensure that the public is properly protected and that there is a strong and viable taxi industry into the future?

“History has shown that the risk of market failure in deregulated taxi services is high and there is a need to ensure an appropriate level of government-backed regulations to protect the public interest,” Mr Wakelin-King said.

“Irrespective of this review being conducted, the law is the law and it must be upheld.

“There is a strong sense of injustice amongst all members of the NSW Taxi Industry as a consequence of the current inequity facing taxi drivers, owners and operators, and unless the law is properly upheld, this situation will only worsen,” Mr Wakelin-King said.

This review must also consider the interests of those who have invested significantly in this industry over many decades.

There are very complex issues to consider and the consequences could be significant for those who have invested in the industry in good faith.

It’s therefore essential that the review is conducted thoroughly and that the many thousands of families who rely on the taxi industry are utmost in the minds of those carrying out the review as well as those who will ultimately decide on the outcomes.